Eid Al Fitr 2023: Crescent moon of Shawwal not sighted in Brunei

The sovereign state of Brunei has announced Saturday as the first day of Eid Al Fitr. The state will mark April 22 as the first day of the Islamic festival because the sighting of the crescent moon of Shawwal has not been proven in the country.

A group of 25 astronomy experts from 13 Arab countries have jointly declared that the crescent moon in the month of Shawwal cannot be seen today (April 20, Thursday) with the naked eye in the Arab and Islamic regions.

In the UAE, the moon-sighting committee will convene tonight (April 20) to decide when the fasting month of Ramadan will end and the Islamic month of Shawwal will begin. Islamic months last either 29 or 30 days, depending on when the Moon is sighted. If the Moon is spotted tonight (Thursday), the holy month of Ramadan will have lasted for 29 days. Eid will be on Friday, and residents will get a four-day break to celebrate.

• Eid Al Fitr 2023: Crescent moon of Shawwal will not be visible to naked eye tonight, says IAC